The Things of Nightmares
by MarieWynn
Summary: All around town, people are falling victim to their worst nightmares. Is it a demon? Is it magic? Can the team figure out what's going on before more people die? And most importantly, is our favorite vampire immune from nightmares just because he doesn't


_**Synopsis:   
All around town, people are falling victim to their worst nightmares. Is it a demon? Is it magic? Can the team figure out what's going on before more people die? And most importantly, is our favorite vampire immune from nightmares just because he doesn't dream?**___

Spoiler Alert:  
This episode takes place after Drawn and Quartered and having seen spoilers for Wrapped, so if you don't want to be spoiled, then go catch up on the show before reading! They aren't huge spoilers, but it's enough I think. 

Disclaimer:  
This is a fanfiction I wrote for the Lifetime Television Series Blood Ties, based on the books by Tanya Huff. I in no way, shape, or form own Blood Ties or the Blood Books, or any rights to it. No infringement is intended. This story is for entertainment purposes only, unless you happen to work on Blood Ties and happen to want to pay me to turn it into an episode for the show. grin

Now, this is the first time I've written a fanfiction, and this is the first and only draft of it. I've tried to make some spelling corrections and such, but that's about as far as the editing goes. So when you are reading it, feedback is welcome, but please keep in mind this is a very very rough draft, basically made for story purposes only. And I sort of lost my mojo at the end, so apologies in advanced. :)

There is some language and sexual innuendos, so take note before you read.

That being said, end disclaimer, and hopefully enjoy. :)_  
_

**Blood Ties-The Things of Nightmares**

Vicki felt like skipping all the way back to the office, but her poor night vision as well as Henry's presence kept her restrained. They had finally done it. After two months of following around Mr. Harold Ferense, they finally had enough evidence to turn over to dear _Mrs._ Harold Ferense. No doubt his infidelity would allow for his wife to clear him out, and Vicki knew that this meant a huge paycheck for her.

"So what now?" Henry asked as she walked giddily along.

"Now we head back to the office, put away all this fancy equipment Mr. Ferense has been hogging, and relax."

Henry raised an eyebrow. "You could use a little relaxation. And luckily, I am just the gentlemen to help you along your way."

"I bet you are," Vicki returned with a smirk. His constant advances and her constant avoidance had become somewhat of a game with them now. "Guess you are gonna have to take that vampire charm somewhere else."

Henry took her hand and placed it in his, giving her a more serious and sentimental look. "I have no where else I would rather be." He struggled to hide his grin as she blushed and squirmed in front of him. He was waring on her, he could feel it. He decided to have mercy on her tonight as she had worked very hard on this case. "If you won't allow me to help you relax, perhaps you will allow me to help you celebrate another case closed."

"Not just any case-he was one sticky son of a bitch. I've never seen someone be so careful about cheating. I guess when you have that much money, you have to guard it well," she shrugged.

"I suppose so," Henry returned.

"Yea I guess that's not exactly something you have to worry about. Marrying some broad only to have her bust you chowing down on someone else and then take you to the cleaners."

Henry laughed at the thought. Without what Vicki referred to as his vampire charms, he could see that being a difficult situation. However, seeing as how charm was not something he lacked, the idea was slightly amusing to him.

"You're lucky."

"In what regard? Are you worried that Celucci is going to try to marry you only to steal your business away from you?" Henry quipped.

"No," Vicki said dismissively. She shuddered at the thought of being married at all, but marrying Mike could only end in violence, even as much as she loved him. "I mean you're lucky you don't have to worry about the pressure of getting married. No mother asking you why you aren't married and with child yet. That seems to be the only question mine knows how to ask."

"When my parents were alive it wasn't so much a question as to why, as a command as to when. We weren't given much of a choice in the way of suitors."

"Ah, arranged marriages. How did you get out of landing in one?"

A smile lifted the corners of Henry's lips. "Victoria, your studies in history fail you. I was married, at my father's orders."

Vicki was taken aback by this. She couldn't see Henry as a husband, even the man he was before the vampire. "What happened to your wife?"

"She was widowed not long after we were married. She went on to live a happy, normal, and very wealthy life."

"So when you were married to her, you and Christina were..."

"The marriage was arranged for the sake of politics, Vicki, not for love."

Vicki was thankful that they had finally reached her office, which made way for a change of subject. "So celebrate huh?"

"The night is young." He brushed the bangs hovering over the edge of her glasses off to the side.

"For you maybe. Everywhere I know of is closed."

"We could go back to my place, open a bottle of champagne. I could make you dinner."

"You cook?" Vicki used to the question to regain her bearings, as talk like this from Henry always threatened to sweep her off her feet.

"The talent does come in handy. It is a skill I have honed over the years."

"Ah, no better way to woo your dinner than by making some for them. Guess that's fair."

"I hardly need to use the effort of cooking just to find a meal for myself, Vicki." He ran his finger gently down her neck. "But now that you mention it..."

Vicki rolled her eyes and turned away from his touch with a smile. _Nelson-2, Fitzroy-0. _Not that she was keeping score...

She opened the door to her office and paused at the stairs. There was a light on upstairs that she hadn't left that way, and she doubted Coreen was trying to put in any overtime as their caseload wasn't that heavy.

Henry could smell him the instant Vicki opened the door. Celucci was there. He had such a knack for ruining Henry's moments with Vicki that Henry was beginning to wonder if he had any psychic abilities. "It's Celucci," Henry answered to Vicki's unasked question.

"Oh no!" Vicki clapped a hand to her mouth and ran up the stairs, realizing she had forgotten about her plans with Mike. Mike was sitting casually in her desk flipping through a magazine. He smiled as she reached the top of the stairs.

"I was beginning to think you'd forgotten about me," he stood to greet her but stopped once he recognized the second shadow rounding the corner. _Fitzroy_. He was the reason she had stood him up.

"Mike, I completely forgot," Vicki explained apologetically. "I just got really caught up-"

Mike was still staring down the vampire. "I bet you did."

Henry merely smiled at the detective, careful to give him no signs that he was mistaken. He wasn't going to be so petty as to sabotage Celucci's chances with Vicki, but he certainly wasn't going to stop him from digging his own grave either.

"Excuse me?" Vicki gritted through clenched teeth. "We were working on a case, Mike."

"You two seem to be working on a lot of 'cases' together here lately."

"I'm her partner, detective, so it only makes sense that I join her in her endeavors and help her with her... _needs_. Surely you can remember what that was like," his words held double meanings, and he was quite sure by the angry look on Celucci's face that he understood both.

"Henry, knock it off. It was just a case Mike. I'm sorry I forgot about our date, but you can take this knuckle dragging, macho-"

Mike's expression softened. "Date?"

Henry watched as Vicki tried to bite back her words, his expression darkening with jealousy.

"Well, yea. I mean, dinner, whatever you want to call it." Vicki bit her lip in frustration and sighed. "Look, I don't have the patience for either of you tonight. You two wanna duke it out, have at it. But do it somewhere other than here."

"Vicki-" Henry argued.

"No, I'm serious. This crap has been old since the beginning, and you two just don't seem to get it." Vicki opened the door for them to leave.

Mike knew there was no use arguing. He walked out the door and paused at the top of the stairs to ensure the vampire followed. After a moment, Henry did, only to turn back to argue with her once more.

"No. You two call me once you figure out I'm not a prize to be won, not before." With that, she slammed the door in their faces.

With a low growl and a sinister glare, Henry turned on Celucci. "Happy now detective?"

"As long as I'm not out here while you're in there, yea. Yea I am," Celucci shot back.

Henry growled once more, and in a flash he was gone. Mike sighed, contemplated knocking on the door, but thought better of it and took his leave for the night. He would sort this out with Vicki in the morning, the only time he knew Fitzroy had no chance of being around.

Inside, Vicki breathed a sigh of relief, trying to exhale her anger with it. It had been nearly a year, and still the two of them fought over her like rabid dogs over a scrap of meat. "Men," she gruffed as she crawled into her bed and shut off the lights. After angrily fluffing her pillow for a moment or two, she decided it wasn't her pillow's fault and closed her eyes, trying to will sleep her way. Sleep, she knew, was the best way for her to avoid contemplating the real problem at hand with Henry and Mike.

Vicki awoke what felt like only a few hours later to the smell of coffee and the sound of Coreen bustling about. She opened her eyes in the pitch black and reached for the lamp beside the bed. She flipped the switch only to find nothing happened.

"Hmm...I know I paid the power bill," she muttered to herself. Deciding she must have slept the day away, she fumbled with her glasses and struggled her way into the office.

"Finally, you're up," Coreen greeted. "Mike's called at least 6 times. He thinks you're avoiding him."

"You've been sitting here in the dark waiting for me to wake up just so you could rag me about Mike? Lemme guess, Henry's been by as well."

Coreen raised her eyebrows in confusion. "Why would Henry even be calling before sunrise? And what makes you think I've been sitting here in the dark?"

A surge of panic went through Vicki. "Because it's pitch black in here, Coreen. Now is not the time to mess around."

"Vicki," Coreen began slowly as she took note of the midday sun beaming through the windows, "It's four o'clock in the afternoon. Which means it's definitely not pitch black in here. Are you okay?"

Vicki braced herself against the walls as her knees went weak and her eyes searched for some sign of light. This couldn't be happening. Not yet, it was too soon. "Coreen...I can't see anything." She couldn't hide the shakiness of her voice. "I can't see."

Coreen's heart dropped as she rushed to her boss's aid, guiding her down to the chair by her desk. "What do you mean you can't see? When did this start?"

"Pretty much now," Vicki snapped. This was impossible.

"I'll call Mike," Coreen said as she reached for the phone.

"No!" Vicki couldn't call on Mike for aid after last night, and certainly didn't want his pity. "I need to go to the eye doctor. Now."

Mike sat at his desk, trying to concentrate on his work. Vicki was so damned stubborn. He had every intention of apologizing, even though he still felt he was not in the wrong last night, but Vicki's hard headed ways wouldn't even allow him that. He drummed his fingers on the case file in front of him, debating in his head whether or not he should try her again. He looked at his watch. It was almost seven o'clock. Surely she was awake now, but since it was sundown he had no doubt she had found herself too preoccupied for him once again. Wondering why he even bothered anymore, he resolved himself to delve back into his work and wait for her to make the next move.

Vicki sat at her desk, scotch in hand, listening to the phone ring and the answering machine pick up once again. She had sent Coreen home not long after returning from the doctor, explaining that she needed to be alone and thanking her for her assistance. So far Mike had called 3 more times since she had woken up to this nightmare, Henry had called 5 times since sunset, and her mother called once. She even ignored the potential clients leaving messages. There was nothing she could do for them now. Her doctor had confirmed it. Her condition had accelerated, though he had no logical explanation as to why. She was blind.

Henry hung up the phone after leaving yet another message, and sat in his office staring at the blank pages in front of him, drawing pen in hand. He was coming up empty, and he was very aware of the reason as to why. It wasn't like Vicki to be so angry at him that she wouldn't even answer or return his calls. He wasn't even entirely sure of what he did wrong last night. True, there was a constant and obvious war between himself and Mike concerning Vicki, but she had never let it come between them before.

With a sigh, he dropped his pen and leaned back in his chair. There was no way he was going to be able to get any work done under these conditions, and if he knew her well enough, neither was she. They would just have to resolve this now, whether she was ready to or not. He grabbed his pea-coat and headed out the door, making his way to her office.

Vicki sighed as she heard the knock at her door. She had known that one of them wouldn't be able to leave well enough alone and would end up coming by. From the sound of the knock, she could guess that it wasn't Mike. She remained still and quiet, although she knew if it was Henry this wouldn't help her case any.

"Vicki," Henry addressed her through the door he know leaned against. "I know you're in there. We need to talk."

Vicki turned away from the general direction of the door, hoping that Henry would for once give up and go home.

"Vicki? You know I can tell you're there." Henry paused, waiting for some sort of movement. Her heartbeat wasn't slow enough for her to be asleep or to be in trouble. She was just being stubborn, a quality he both loved and hated about her at times. Now was one of the times he hated it. "I'm coming in," he announced as he opened the door.

"No!" Vicki called out, but at the sound of the door unlatching she knew she was too late. Great. She thought her reflexes were supposed to get better with the loss of her eyesight, not get worse.

Henry had no problem finding where she sat alone in the dark. He could sense right away that something was wrong, and if he hadn't been able to, the bottle of whiskey and empty glass in hand would have clued him in. "Is everything okay?"

"It's fine, Henry. I just don't feel like company."

Henry could feel the weight of her words. He sat on the edge of the desk and reached out to touch her arm, which she unexpectedly didn't pull away from. "Vicki, you can talk to me."

"I said I'm fine, Henry. I'd appreciate it if you would just leave."

Henry couldn't understand what he had done to make her so angry. She wouldn't even look at him. He sighed and made his way back to the door, but turned once more, compassion getting the best of him. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"I'm fine," Vicki responded coldly as she reached for the bottle of whiskey. It was right in front of her, yet she knocked it over, spilling it's contents all over her desk.

Henry's eyes widened at the realization. Slowly he made his way back to the desk, trying to help her clean up the mess with a shirt that was strewn across one of the chairs. This was clearly a subject to be broached as sensitively as possible. "Let me help," he said gently as he straightened the bottle and continued to mop up the whiskey around her.

"I don't need your help!" Vicki spat angrily, throwing her glass across the room. It shattered into small pieces yet her anger remained fully in tact.

Henry placed two calming hands on her shoulders, which she tried to jerk away from but he wouldn't allow it. "Vicki...Vicki! It's okay...tell me what happened."

"What was inevitably going to happen, Henry. I'm blind. Happy?"

The expression on his face clearly read of someone far from happy, and far from pity. He wanted to pull her close to him, but he knew better. This would only upset her more. "Have you been to the doctor?"

"Yes," she hissed.

"And?" He encouraged calmly.

"And they don't know why it happened so soon, but it happened. And there's no reversing it."

"I thought you had said it felt as though it were improving."

"I thought it was. Apparently, that was just wishful thinking."

"There has to be a reasonable explanation for this. We'll figure it out," he assured her.

"Aren't you listening? There is a reasonable explanation, Henry! I've been going blind and now I'm finally there!"

"You don't go to sleep fine and wake up the next day blind with your condition, Victoria. There has to be something more to it then the condition itself."

Vicki struggled to keep her hopes leveled, but Henry's words had raised them. "You mean like magic?"

"Possibly. Or something else we haven't encountered yet." He placed a comforting hand on her now trembling cheek as she tried to bite back tears. "We will figure this out, Vicki. I promise you. Let's go back to my place for now, and we'll have Coreen meet us there." He paused. "Would you like for me to call Mike as well?"

Vicki thought it over for a moment, but again resigned herself that she wouldn't be able to withstand his pity. He would likely try to throw her over his shoulder and hide her away at his house, where he and he alone could then take care of her in her weakened state. However sweet the gesture might be, she knew the action would likely do nothing more than piss her off. "No. I want to leave him out of this for now."

Henry nodded in understanding and guided her out the door.

Hours later, Henry remained at his post by the window, staring into the night of the city as if it held the answers. Vicki sat comfortably, and a great deal more calm, on her usual spot on his leather sofa. Coreen paced the floor nervously, flipping through another book for what seemed like the millionth time.

"It very well could be magic," Henry concurred to Coreen's suggestion. "But I didn't sense anything near the apartment tonight."

"Maybe last night then," Coreen offered as she closed the book. "While you were out and about."

"What? Like a drive by cursing?" Vicki asked.

"Again, I should have sensed something if it was magic."

"Well if it's not magic and it's not the disease itself, then what the hell is it?"

"I'm trying to find out, but my research isn't turning up anything so far," Coreen said apologetically.

"It's not your fault, Coreen. We'll get to the bottom of this." _If there is something to get to the bottom of_, Vicki added silently. Her hope was starting to wane again, though she was struggling to not let it show through. She didn't want to discourage at least eliminating the possibilities. And the longer she put off the pity and the life changing events, the better. She closed her eyes and lay her head against the arm of the couch. Immediately, she could feel the touch of Henry's fingers stroking her hair gently, trying to offer her some reassurance.

"Coreen, why don't you try calling Dr. Sagara again?" Henry suggested. "My phone is in the office."

Coreen took the hint and left Henry to attend to Vicki in private.

Vicki could feel Henry kneel down in front of her and reached her hand out for his. "I'm sorry about last night."

He was glad momentarily that she couldn't see the shock on his face. "For what?"

"For kicking you out. Maybe I overreacted."

"I should be the one apologizing. I realize you aren't territory to be marked, and it is unfair to treat you as such."

Vicki lifted her head. "So does that mean you're apologizing?"

Henry couldn't help but smile. "Maybe. Does that mean you're accepting?"

Vicki sighed. "Seeing as how we've bigger fish to fry at the moment, let's just leave it at yes."

Henry ran his fingers through her hair once more, hand resting on her cheek, caressing it ever so slightly. "You should rest. You look exhausted."

"Is that a polite way to tell me I look like hell?"

He laughed and kissed her head as he stood. "That is impossible. But you should get some sleep. Coreen is getting ready to go meet Bettie-"

"Eavesdropper."

"And I have to go feed."

The humor left Vicki's face. "So I take it you aren't up for dining in?"

"Tempting as it is, you need your strength."

"Who says I'm weak?" Vicki retorted angrily.

"I am not saying you are weak, Vicki. You are the furthest from it I have ever seen." His compliment seemed to cool her temper. "But if something is doing this to you, then you will need every bit of your strength to fight it off. Meaning I shouldn't take it away from you."

Vicki sighed and leaned her head back, knowing he was right. She held her hand out and allowed him to guide her to the bedroom.

"Would you like some help undressing?" Henry offered coyly.

Vicki couldn't help but grin. "Don't you wish." _Nelson-3, Fitzroy-0_.

"Very well. I will be back as soon as I can."

"Henry?" Vicki asked as she felt her way to the bed.

Noticing that she couldn't see his pause, he responded, "Yes?"

"Thank you. For everything."

"Thank you, for letting me."

Vicki smiled as she heard the door closed, pulled off her jeans and the cardigan she wore over her tank top, and curled into bed. Maybe she could wake up to find this all one bad dream...

An hour later, Henry had returned. Coreen had left a message letting him know that she was at Bettie's office going through her books, and would call if she found something. He could hear the slow beat of Vicki's heart from his bedroom as if it were a drum calling to him. He found her sleeping soundly, nestled underneath the sheets. He couldn't help but love the sight of her asleep in his bed. It brought a sense of peace and completion he hadn't felt in over a century. Quietly, he crawled under the sheets next to her, and as if on reflex, she snuggled herself onto his chest. He placed a kiss on her hand, and watched her sleep as he stroked his hand up and down her spine. She shivered under his touch and he grinned at yet another small victory. 

Vicki awoke to Henry's gentle touch, and lavished in the sparks she felt underneath his caress. She gently traced the lines of his abdomen through his shirt, and after he breathed in deep in response, she made her way underneath the shirt. She kept her eyes closed, not wanting to be reminded of the pain of her situation, and wanting to feel everything her other senses were sending her way, as Henry had a tendency to evoke numerous reactions from her simultaneously. Rolling her over onto her back, he leaned atop her and breathed small kisses down her neck. He had longed to do this since the moment they met, but hesitated as he couldn't help but feel that now was not the right time.

"Vicki-" he began, but found that her mouth now covered his, pulling him in deeper and deeper.

"Don't," she whispered. "Now is as good a time as any."

Henry pulled back and ran his hands through his hair. "I can't, Vicki. Not like this."

Vicki's eyes shot open in a glare as she pulled the sheets over her. "Forgive me for trying for some distraction."

Her words stung, and he knew she meant for them to, but he found himself lost in her eyes. "Vicki...are you looking at me?"

"Very fun-" Vicki stopped herself as she realized that she was indeed looking at and seeing Henry. "Oh my god..."

Henry cupped her face in his hand, pulling her gaze up to his once more and searching her eyes. "You can see...just like before?"

Vicki wrapped her arms around him in glee. "It's over!"

Henry wished he could share her excitement, but Vicki's vision miraculously returning could only point to something else besides nature at play here.

"Well gee, don't get all excited on my account."

"Vicki-"

"Don't worry about it," she cut off coolly. "I'm gonna go call Coreen and give her the good news. Someone who will be happy that I don't need anyone to take care of me."

_And the cycle begins again_, Henry thought to himself. Pull him close, then push him away.

Vicki returned a moment later and began pulling her clothes back on. "Coreen is going to meet me for coffee to celebrate. I'll call you tonight though."

Henry pulled her gently back towards the bed. "Are you sure you don't want to celebrate here?"

"Oh no mister," Vicki said pulling away. "You had you're chance. Besides, it's almost sun up."

"Maybe you should have Coreen meet you here."

"Henry, I'm fine," Vicki protested.

Henry's concern couldn't rest, and Vicki could see that. "It would seem safer to meet her here in case it happens again."

"I said I'll be fine, Henry. Just because I needed your help last night doesn't mean-"

"It's not about that, Vicki, and you know it. It doesn't strike you as the least bit odd that you lose your vision so long before predicted, and then it miraculously comes back to you after you wake up again?"

"I agree, something very odd is going on-"

"Something is behind this. And what with the strikes against you in the past by Astaroth's followers, there's no telling when whatever this is will attack again."

Vicki breathed in and stared up at the ceiling. _Way to be a buzzkill, Henry_. "Okay, I agree. I'll be careful."

"We don't even know what we're dealing with yet, Vicki."

"Well I can't just hole myself up in your condo till we figure it out, Henry! You know that's not my style."

"No, your style is to go running headfirst after things you know nothing about." Henry sighed, the frustration and the dawn tensing his body.

Vicki looked at him softly. "Would you have it any other way? Look, I'm not just gonna let this sit. Coreen and I will spend the day looking into this from every angle. If there's something going on, we'll figure it out."

"And if you figure it out? What then?"

"Then I go after it, and maybe let you come in and save my ass."

Henry couldn't help but smile, she always had a way of making him do that even when at his most frustrated with her.

"Get some sleep," she said as she walked out.

Coreen had no luck the previous night at Dr. Sagara's office trying to find a mystical cause for blindness, and she and Vicki were having even less luck of it today.

"Maybe it's not about the blindness. Maybe there's something more to it," Vicki thought aloud.

"What do you mean? Like a vengeance spell?" 

"No, not like a spell. Henry said he would have sensed any magic going on."

"He's been wrong before, though."

Vicki contemplated this for a few seconds. "True. We won't rule it out just yet."

"If it's not magic then what else could it be though?"

"Demonic?"

Coreen shook her head. "I doubt it. Dr. Sagara had never heard of this happening before, and aside from ones that feed off of your eyeballs, I haven't read about any demons that make you go randomly blind."

Vicki wrinkled her nose in disgust. "Feed off your eyeballs?"

"It's a ritual thing, and could totally be myth," Coreen assured her. "So no to magic, and no to demon..."

Vicki was rubbing her brands in thought and glanced down at them. "Maybe it's a reaction to these things..."

"Like a side effect of the marks?"

"Maybe...I dunno, I know it sounds crazy. But something has to be going on here. Henry's right, people don't just wake up blind one day only to find their vision restored when they wake up the next."

"It doesn't make sense for it to be the brands though. You've said yourself that your eyesight felt like it was getting better since you got them."

"I never said since I got them."

"You didn't need to. You've been mentioning it more and more, which means it's recent."

"Okay fine, so it's not the demon tattoos." Vicki started pacing the floor of her office. "We have to be missing something."

"I think we need to see what it does next."

"That's a great plan, Coreen. Let's all be sitting ducks while the baddy of the week tries to get us."

"If whatever this thing is started with making you go temporarily blind, then it's safe to assume it's next move won't be a huge jump from that, say to killing people. And whatever it did to you wore off, so after 24 hours this thing's hold seems to weaken."

"So we wait?"

Coreen shrugged. "So we wait." Coreen seemed to be pondering something in the silence that now sat between them.

"What?"

"I was just thinking...what if it's not just you?"

"You mean what if other people are randomly going blind?"

"Going blind, or anything else odd."

Vicki nodded. "You know, you are getting more like a detective everyday. I'm so proud."

Coreen preened at the compliment and bounced over to her desk. "So where should we start? Hospital records?"

"I guess I could try to pull a few favors...they don't exactly hand out hospital records like jello down there."

"Or we could try a back door." Coreen sat down in front of her computer, a mischievous look on her face.

Vicki recognized the signs and threw her hands up. "I don't want to know. I'm going to call Mike and see if he can find any weird reports from last night."

Mike approached the fresh crime scene solemnly. He and Dave had gotten the call while they were out for lunch. Young girl, mid teens, found dead in graveyard, her brain partially removed. Staring down at the site before him, Mike was glad he hadn't had time to eat yet.

"This is crazy," Dave said as he examined the body. "What kind of monster would do this?"

"I thought you lived for this kinda thing, Dave."

"Nah," Detective Dave Graham shook his head. "This is just sick. It's like some sort of bad horror movie, girl dead in a cemetery with her skull ripped open and half her brains missing."

Mike circled Dave and examined the skull. It did in fact look as though someone had ripped it open. "The wound doesn't look surgical at all."

"Who could do that kinda thing by hand though?"

"I didn't say it was by hand. We'll know more after Dr. Mohadevan takes a look at her." Before Mike could say more, his phone rang. "Celucci."

"Mike, it's Vicki."

Mike turned and walked away from the crime scene, trying to gain some privacy. "What can I do for you Vicki?"

"Come on Mike. Don't be like that. So we had a little spat-"

"You stood me up to go gallivanting around with Henry, and then you kicked me out. I'd say that's a little more than a spat."

"And I accept you're apology."

"Who said I was apologizing?" Mike asked through gritted teeth.

"You did, on more than one of the eight messages you left me yesterday."

Dammit, she had him on that. "Fine, so what do you want?"

"I need you to check any reports that came in yesterday for anything strange."

"Gee, Vick, think you can vague that up for me?"

"Like full moon strange Mike. Just anything weird that might've happened, anything unexplainable."

Mike turned to look back at his unexplainable crime. "Alright, spill it. And if you tell me this has anything to do with killer zombies on the loose eating people's brains, I'm hanging up."

"Killer zombies?"

"Dead girl in a cemetery, missing half her brain."

"First I've heard of it. I don't know what I'm looking for exactly. Can you just look into it for me?"

"After you fill me in, maybe."

Vicki sighed. He had a right to know, especially if he was going to be helping her out. "I woke up blind yesterday."

"You what??"

"I woke up and I couldn't see a thing."

"I'm on my way-"

"Mike, no. I'm okay now. Okay as in I woke up this morning and was miraculously able to see again. Something hinky is definitely going on."

"Did you go to the eye doctor?"

"Yea, Coreen took me after we figured out that the city wasn't experiencing a blackout."

"What did he say?"

"That I was blind, Mike. Which I already knew. He couldn't explain why, he said it didn't make sense."

"What did he say after you went back today?"

Vicki paused. "I didn't go back today."

"For chrissakes Vicki, why not?"

"Because I don't think this has a medical explanation, Mike."

"So you just jump to the conclusion that it has to be supernatural."

"No, I just...I know how this sounds, Mike. But you have to admit that it's really odd to go blind one day and wake up fine the next. Henry doesn't think it's magic, but I'm not so sure-"

"Henry. You didn't call me at all to even let me know what was going on, but you let Henry come riding to the rescue."

"First of all, I didn't need rescuing," she lied. "Second of all, I didn't let Henry do anything. He's the one who came barging in on me and didn't leave me much of a choice."

"I'm sure."

"Dammit Mike, can we not do this right now? There are bigger things going on right now than the pissing contest you and Henry have going on. Can you check into the reports for me or not?"

"Fine. I'll call you if I find anything." Mike hung up his phone with a huff and made his way back to Dave at the crime scene.

"Trouble in paradise?" Dave grinned.

"You have no idea. Let's finish this up."

Only fifteen minutes after the sun had set, Henry showed up at Vicki's office. He was relieved to find her sifting through a book, legs propped up on her desk. Coreen was in front of the computer as usual, sifting through her findings after hacking into the medical records of the hospital.

"Ladies," he greeted as he entered the office. "Find anything of interest?"

"Nothing in the books," Vicki answered as she sat hers down.

"I'm still looking through the medical records, but so far the only thing I've found is an ambulance showing up after a guy called claiming that he was burning to death. There was no fire, and he's currently undergoing psychiatric evaluations before release."

"And I suppose it's safe to say you haven't found a mystical cause or cure for blindness yet either," Henry added.

Coreen nodded. 

"And nothing out of the ordinary has happened since this morning?"

"Nope. Not that we can find." Vicki leaned forward and stretched her arms over her head. "I had Mike look into any weird police reports, but he either hasn't found anything or is too caught up in his current case, which is odd enough as it is."

"What case is that?"

"One that I think he would prefer a supernatural explanation for over anything they might find. Teenage girl found dead in the cemetery, her skull ripped open and her brains missing. Or part of her brains."

Henry raised his eyebrows in interest.

"Think we should check it out?" Coreen asked.

"Hardly seems related to going blind, Coreen. Besides, Mike can handle it."

"So let Coreen assist Mike in giving the crime scene another thorough look," Henry suggested.

Vicki narrowed her eyes at him. "And what do you have in mind for us?"

A wicked grin crossed Henry's face. "You do realize you just opened a number of doors for me."

"The investigation, Henry."

"I think we should go check out this burn victim, and then we can all meet back at my place with our findings."

"Why not here?"

"You've already been targeted once, and you seemed to be safe at my place, with the pleasant side effect of having whatever was causing it wear off. I think my condo is a lot safer bet than here."

"And what exactly are we supposed to be looking for?" Mike asked grumpily as he and Coreen walked through the cemetery. "My team has already been over this area with a fine toothed comb."

"Yes, and now we go over it with our fine toothed supernatural combs," Coreen added.

"Great."

"We're not even sure these are related, Henry just figured it was a good idea for us to explore all the possibilities."

"I'd like to know what he's exploring right now," Mike mumbled.

Coreen smiled, pretending she didn't hear his last remark. She aimed the flashlight at the graves before them, looking for anything out of the ordinary.

"So...what happened yesterday?" Mike asked.

"You mean when Vicki went blind?"

Mike shuttered at the thought. "Yea."

"Well, she was still asleep when I got in around noon. You called, a lot, but I didn't want to wake her. And by the way, I told you I wasn't lying."

"Yea, sorry about that."

"Anyway, she finally woke up I think around three. She came stumbling out asking me why I was sitting in the dark and then when she found out I wasn't, she kinda lost it."

"What do you mean?"

"Like usually Vicki losing it. Angry, yelling, looking to break things. I took her to the eye doctor, and when we got back to the office she made me leave."

"You left?"

"After she threatened to fire me about 3 times, and tried calling the police."

Mike laughed. Coreen was starting to show her more stubborn side around Vicki, which was usually exactly what Vicki needed.

"Henry called me after he went to the office and told me to meet them at his place, so I did. I've never seen him so mad."

"What do you mean? Like he was going to hurt her?"

"No, like he wanted to bite me in the not so good way. He's never vamped out at me before, but he did last night."

"Why was he angry with you?"

"Same reason you were angry with her. For not calling to let him know what was going on."

"Why _didn't_ you call one of us?"

Coreen stopped in a huff and turned to Mike. "Because I know Vicki, and she doesn't need a knight coming to her rescue. She's used to being the one on the white steed, and I had no plans to make her feel like she needed otherwise. The sooner you realize how inadequate that makes her feel, the better off you'll be."

"I never made her feel ina-"

"Mike, look." Coreen was staring down at what appeared to be a freshly buried grave.

"It's a new grave, Coreen. These things happen."

Coreen cut her eyes at the detective and shown her flashlight on the headstone, which was faded. Mike had to squint closer to make out the dates.

"1815 to 1862..."

"Not exactly a fresh grave," Coreen added.

Mike examined the soil in front of the headstone, which was definitely new. "So what does this mean? A zombie really did kill that girl last night?"

"I don't know. Zombies that eat brains are usually only the fictional kind, unless ordered to do so by the person that raised them. But to order a zombie to do that is pointless, it's just crazy."

"I think we left the land of the sane when we started considering zombies, Coreen. I'll check at the station and see if maybe someone had the body exhumed for some reason. That would be the only rational explanation. We should split up and see what else we can find."

Coreen nodded as Celucci made note of the grave, and headed in the opposite direction.

Vicki stood behind Henry as he convinced the security guard to let them through with such ease that she almost felt cheated.

"What?" He asked as they made their way to the padded room that currently held the formerly sane Mr. Donovan Richardson.

"Nothing, it's nothing."

"This is your nothing face, is it?"

"Yup." Vicki squirmed under his scrutiny. "It just felt...too easy, that's all."

"You'd rather have to work for it? Argue with someone?"

"Sometimes. I like to feel I'm earning my pay, that's all."

Henry grinned and placed his hand on the small of her back as they turned the corner. Henry swiped the card he had convinced the hospital security guard to give him, and opened the door to Mr. Richardson's cell.

"Donovan Richardson? My name is Vicki Nelson, I'm a private investigator. This is my associate Henry."

Henry bowed his head in greeting. "We'd like to ask you a few questions about what you experienced last night."

"I'm not crazy," the frazzled Donovan Richardson immediately barked.

"No one here thinks you are, Mr. Richardson," Vicki used her best 'the police are your friend' voice she had mastered while on the force. "You have no history of mental illness, nor does your family. You've never been so much as pulled over or given a parking ticket. I don't think you're crazy. I think something happened to you that you don't understand."

"I understand it alright," he argued. "Someone tried to burn me alive."

Henry shivered, understanding fully well the fear of being burned alive. "Why would someone want to do that to you Mr. Richardson?"

"I don't know," he sobbed. "I was sitting on my couch, watching TV, when I smelled the smoke. I tried putting myself out, but nothing was working. A neighbor heard me screaming and called 911." He was heaving with sobs now.

Vicki put a comforting hand on his back. "It's okay, you're safe now."

"You don't understand! To have this happen..." He looked up at her, the fear of a now broken man shining through his tears. "I'm a firefighter, Ms. Nelson. Burning alive is my worst nightmare. I've dreamt it before, but to have it happen...how can I go back to the job now?"

Vicki locked eyes with Henry, hoping he wasn't thinking what she was.

"Mike?" Coreen called through the dark. The batteries in her flashlight were dying, causing the light to grow dimmer by the minute. She cursed herself for not grabbing a new set before leaving. Vicki would've thought to do that. "Mike!" she called again. Still no response. She had been searching for him for about 20 minutes through the dark graveyard.

A few yards ahead, she could make out a figure hunched over, leaning on one of the headstones. She could see the person's shoulders shaking and could barely make out the sound of the tears that were most likely mourning the gravestone they clung to. As she got closer, the shape was grew more familiar, until she could make out the tan trench coat and blonde hair. "Mike? Mike? What's wrong?" She asked as she rushed over.

Mike couldn't move. He couldn't find any words. He traced the letters in her name, heart breaking more and more by the moment. _Victoria Nelson,_ the headstone read. _Beloved partner and friend, she gave her life so that other's might live._ "Vicki..." he whispered.

Coreen tilted her head as she looked at Mike with confusion. Why was he crying over Vicki at this tombstone, and why all of the sudden? She shone her flashlight on it, but the tombstone belonged to that of Marilyn Henders, who died at the ripe old age of 96. "Mike, what's going on?"

"She's gone..." those two words hung heavily in his heart, sending him into a new wave of sobs.

Coreen placed a hand on his back in comfort. "I'm sure she's fine, Mike."

"Can't you read?" He yelled, gesturing at the tombstone. "This is not fine, Coreen!"

Coreen backed away slowly. "I'm going to call Henry. We should head there and try to make sense of this..."

"Henry," Mike growled as he stood up. He looked at a now wide eyed Coreen and stomped off.

"Mike!" Coreen tried to follow, but collided with a small grave marker that landed her face down on the ground. By the time she looked up, Mike was gone.

"It all makes sense," Vicki protested as she and Henry entered his condo. "Nightmares. This thing is attacking people through nightmares."

"I thought you didn't believe in the boogie man," Henry joked as he tossed his jacket onto the table.

"Henry, be serious."

"Okay, okay. I've never heard of anything besides the boogie man that attacks people through nightmares. Perhaps we should give Dr. Sagara a call." Henry reached for the phone, but took note of the blinking light on his answering machine, then hit the button to retrieve his message.

"Henry, Vicki, it's Coreen. Look, I lost Mike. We split up in the graveyard and next thing I know, I find him weeping over some 96 year old lady's grave muttering Vicki's name. I can't be sure, but I think for some reason he thinks you're dead Vicki. And when I said I was going to call Henry, he got all pissed...I think he blames you. I'm not sure what's going on, but I'll try to get there as soon as I can."

The message ended, and Vicki and Henry barely had enough time to exchange glances before Mike slammed through the door, heading straight for Henry. He threw him up against the wall and pinned him there, a knife aimed directly at his heart. "You son of a bitch!"

Henry eyed the knife cautiously. "Detective Celucci...is there a reason you have a knife aimed at my heart?"

"The better to kill you with. It's all your fault...ever since she met you!"

"Mike what are you doing?" Vicki yelled, trying to pull him off of Henry.

Mike didn't budge and took no notice of her presence.

"What are you talking about?" Henry asked.

"She's dead! And it's your fault!"

"Mike...Vicki is not dead."

Mike slammed Henry against the wall with new force. "Don't toy with me, Fitzroy! I was there! You could have saved her and you didn't! You just watched her die!"

Henry cut his eyes to Vicki. "What do you mean I could have saved her?"

"You could have turned her! But you let her die!"

Shock washed over Vicki as she backed away. Mike would rather see her as a vampire than dead?

"Detective," Henry began slowly. "Our beloved Vicki is no more dead than you. She's standing right over there."

Mike released his grip and turned in the direction Henry was gesturing to, looking right past Vicki. "Vicki?"

"Right here, Mike."

Mike continued to look around, then threw a fist into Henry's jaw. Henry had enough time to react and dodge it, but he was trying very hard to not send Mike over the edge. At least not any further than he already was. "You lying son of a bitch!"

Henry's eyes blackened as he grabbed Mike's shoulders. "You will wake up from this trance," his vampiric voice ordered.

Mike threw Henry's hands off of his shoulders and pushed him away. "Don't you try that vampire crap on me! Tell me why you did it! Why you let her die!"

At that moment, Coreen rushed through the door. "Mike! There you are! What are you doing?"

"Stay out of this Coreen," Mike ordered. "Tell me why you let her die."

Vicki was at a loss for words, still in shock as to his reaction to what he believed to be her death. "Mike..." She tried getting his attention once more.

"Mike, Vicki's not dead!" Coreen shouted, trying to pull him off of Henry. "She's right there!"

Mike threw Coreen off of him, sending her crashing to the floor.

"Coreen!" Henry shouted.

"I'm fine," Coreen mumbled as she sat up, rubbing her temple.

Anger at Mike's violent reaction overwhelmed Vicki and she rushed forward, shoving Mike off of Henry, and punching him in the face. "You stupid son of a bitch! You could have hurt her!"

Mike's eyelids fluttered as Vicki came into focus. "Vicki..." He dropped to his knees, wrapping his arms around her legs in a tight embrace.

The anger left Vicki almost immediately as she knelt down and hugged Mike. "I'm okay, Mike."

Mike sniffed as he pulled away, uncontrollable tears still leaving his eyes. "What the hell is going on?"

"It seems as though people's worst nightmares are coming to pass," Henry answered as he helped Coreen stand.

"Coreen, I'm sorry-" Mike began.

"It's alright. You were upset, you weren't thinking straight."

"Looks like I'm not the only one your vampire charm doesn't work on, Henry." Vicki said as she brushed her fingers through Mike's hair. He still hadn't released her, and after what he had experienced, she wasn't going to force him.

"I'm immune?" Mike asked with hope. He had always silently feared that Henry would try some sort of vampire mind trick on him that would cause him to forget Vicki.

"No, whatever is causing this wouldn't allow me to interfere. It gained control first," Henry responded. "Which means if it happens again, I can't help to snap any of you out of it."

"I love how you assume it won't happen to you," Mike noted.

"I assume it won't because vampires don't dream, detective. When the dawn comes, I'm as good as dead. It's not like human sleep, where you dream, or can be woken up."

"Good to know."

"That would be like you to strike when I'm at my most vulnerable." Henry glared.

"Let's not forget who just had a knife to your heart, Fitzroy."

"Let's not forget the reason I didn't use it to cut your head off, Celucci."

"Guys!" Vicki yelled, pushing Mike off of her. "Geez, we're in crisis mode here and you still can't put a pin in it. Now in case you've forgotten, there's something pretty hinky going on here and there's already one dead body because of it."

"One dead body?" Mike asked.

"Like 'Night of the Living Dead' never gave you nightmares," Vicki returned.

"Not since I was a-" Mike stopped in realization. "Kid. That would explain the freshly dug grave we found."

"And the fireman that thought he was being burned alive that we found," Henry added.

"But here's what doesn't make sense," Vicki began. "If this thing is attacking us using our worst nightmares, then why did the fireman survive without a burn on him, my blindness wear off, but this girl die?"

"Could it be two non-related incidents?" Coreen asked. "Like something attacking through nightmares, _and _a killer zombie on the loose."

"I doubt it," Mike interjected. "If the zombie was still on the loose, the grave would have looked like someone had been dug up, not like someone had been buried."

"So you think this corpse rose from the grave to attack the girl, then returned back to it's resting place?" Henry gave Mike a quizzical look.

"Do you have a better explanation fangboy?"

Henry bit back his retort with the cautioning look Vicki gave him. "Perhaps it's time to contact Dr. Sagara with this new information. Coreen?"

"Sure, I'll just leave and miss all the action." Coreen grabbed her cape and headed out the door.

"So now what?" Mike turned to Vicki.

"Now I believe it's time I check out this grave," Henry responded.

"We already checked it out," Mike shot back. "You know, the professionals."

"Well, detective, unless the professionals can pick up scents the way I can, perhaps it would be best if I take a look as well." Henry's suggestion bordered on professional courtesy as he tried to take into account what Mike had been through tonight. Henry still couldn't shake the hypocrisy of Mike's experience, though. Ever since he had found out his true nature, Celucci had treated him like a repulsive thing. And tonight he had threatened to kill him for not turning Vicki into the same _thing_ when he thought she was dying. 

Mike nodded in agreement, causing Vicki to exhale. "Good, let's go then." She pushed past them and held the door open, waiting for them both to stop eying each other and leave, which they finally did.

Coreen browsed through books as she waited on Dr. Sagara to arrive. To her chagrin, nothing looked remotely interesting to her, and she found herself very quickly bored. She tossed the book aside and plopped down on the couch, picking up the entertainment magazine they lay on the stand next to her.

After a few moments, Dr. Sagara finally arrived, struggling with a mound of new books from her private collection at home in her arms. "Coreen, dear, could you give me a hand with these? I think I might have found our culprit."

Coreen jumped to her feet and removed some of the books from Dr. Sagara's arms, who was now giving her a puzzling look.

"What?"

"Nothing...nothing," Dr. Sagara immediately answered. "It's just...well, you've certainly changed since the last time I saw you," she noted as she looked Coreen up and down.

Coreen merely shrugged and bounced back to the couch. "If you say so."

"Perhaps we'd better call Henry," Dr. Sagara suggested as she eyed Coreen with wonder.

"You think he'll come here? Oh my god, how's my hair?"

After finding that the young girl's blood trail ended at the freshly disturbed grave, Henry decided it would be safe to return to Vicki's office. They changed direction after receiving a phone call from a very concerned Dr. Sagara, who refused to let them speak to Coreen. 

Vicki rushed into the office, her fears building into panic on the way there. "Coreen?"

Coreen jumped to her feet. "What's up?"

Vicki's eyes grew wide, and Henry and Mike both stopped dead in their tracks as they eyed the gothette.

"Coreen," Vicki began gently, "What on earth are you wearing?"

"What, this?" Coreen pulled at the khaki pants, with pink butterflies embroidered up the side to match her pink and white blouse. "Just something I had lying around."

"You stopped to change your clothes on the way here?" Henry asked incredulously.

"Well, yea. Isn't a girl entitled to a wardrobe change every now and then?" She stood up and twisted her hair playfully around her finger as she approached Henry. "You don't like it?"

Henry's eyes ran up and down Coreen in her new makeover, still trying to take it all in. "No...the uh, the pink brings out your...something. Maybe you should sit down."

"Are you feeling alright, Coreen?" Mike asked.

"Yuppers, totally fine."

Vicki turned to Dr. Sagara. "Please tell me you found something. A perky goth is bad enough, but this" she gestured to the sorority version of Coreen, "is freaking me out."

Dr. Sagara nodded, watching in amazement as Coreen continued to try to cuddle up to Henry, and he attempted to paw her off as politely as possible.

"Bettie?" He asked after her pause.

Dr. Sagara shook her head. "Sorry, it's all very...disturbing. I think our culprit is the nightmare."

"Well, yea, we got that already," Mike interjected.

"No my dear, the actual Night Mare. It's a mythological creature, sometimes a demon, sometimes referred to as the Alp, or elf. It was said to creep into people's homes through cracks or wholes, lay on top of them as they sleep, and cause them to dream horrible things. In some versions, it drinks their blood, in others it chokes them. Usually the victim feels a weight upon them, and feels as though they can't breathe-"

"Like with an incubus," Vicki added.

"Yes, very similar to the incubus. Only there is usually nothing sexual in the nature of this creature's attacks."

"So this thing attacks you while you sleep?" Mike asked.

"According to the legends, yes."

"There's the problem though," Vicki began pacing. "This thing is attacking us while we're awake. I mean, Mike was very much so awake when his happened. And Coreen is definitely awake right now."

"I rather wish she weren't," Henry noted as he continued to try to fend her off. "How can we stop her? I mean, this?"

"Why don't you just make her stop, Henry? Don't let the poor girl suffer anymore embarrassment." Dr. Sagara shook her head in pity for Coreen.

"I can't," Henry explained. "My powers of persuasion don't work on anyone already under the influence of this thing."

"How did you snap me out of it?" Mike asked.

"I hit you," Vicki responded simply. When no one objected, she shrugged. "It's worth a shot."

Henry turned Coreen to face Vicki, who grinned with a bounce. "Have I ever told you how much I love your hair?"

Vicki shook her head. "You're gonna thank me for this later." With a sigh, Vicki swung, allowing her fist to connect with Coreen's face. Coreen slumped momentarily in Henry's arms, then shook her head as she awoke, looking around.

"Why's everyone looking at me like that?"

"She seems back to normal," Henry said as he helped her straighten.

"Why wouldn't I be-" Coreen turned to face him, but stopped as she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror hanging by Dr. Sagara's door, then let out a shrill scream.

"It's okay, Coreen. Apparently this was your nightmare." Vicki explained as she shook her head in amusement.

"And it's still going on!" Coreen noticed their amusement and sat up, anger seething. "There is nothing funny about this situation!"

Vicki couldn't help but laugh. "Coreen, my nightmare was that I was blind. Mike's was...whatever it was. That guy thought he was burning alive, the girl killed by zombies...and you're horrified because you're wearing _pink._"

Coreen eyed the four others in the room. "Okay you have a point, but there's more to mine than just a wardrobe change."

"It's about losing who you are," Henry added for her. "I understand. Now, Bettie, how are we supposed to stop this Night Mare demon, or Alp?"

"There are tales of trapping it as it sneaks into your home, nailing it to the floor before it can reach your bed."

"But again, this thing is getting to us while we are awake." Vicki shoved her hands in her pocket, trying to make sense of it all. "Maybe we're missing something."

"Maybe it just plants the nightmares while we're asleep. Uses that time when we're most vulnerable and unsuspecting to get into our heads," Coreen offered.

Vicki nodded. "Coreen, I think you just redeemed yourself for that outfit. So now we need to find a way to lure it to one of us."

"That might not be necessary," Henry stated. "This thing can apparently reach more than one target at a time. If it is getting to people while they sleep, then it would make sense that their nightmares are realized after they awake that day."

Mike nodded, "Which means it was able to get to Vicki, the zombie victim, and the firefighter at the same time the night before last, and Coreen and myself last night."

"I wonder if it's setting a trend..." Vicki crossed the room to look out the window. "I mean, the thing gave myself and the firefighter a pretty vivid vision of our nightmare, but that girl got the real deal."

"Do you think someone else might be getting the real live version tonight?" Henry inquired.

Mike jumped as his phone vibrated. He eyed the message then sighed. "I think someone already did."

Mike arrived at the crime scene shortly after Kate, being that Dave was out of town. "What have we got here?"

"Male, mid forties, no identification, no signs of struggle," Kate explained as she peeled off her gloves.

"Cause of death?"

"It looks to be suffocation, but whoever did it was good. No signs of strangulation, no bruising of the mouth. Medical examiner is gonna have to go over this one with a microscope."

Mike leaned down to take a better look at the body, which was drenched. "Could he of drowned?"

"He's wet enough to have been in water, but there's no sign that the body was moved at all. No dragging marks, no tire marks. And as you can see," Kate gestured around the backyard where the man's body lay, "No water deep enough for him to drown in."

"Huh..." Usually Mike would dismiss drowning just as Kate was, but as of late he had been more and more accepting of the new world he had found himself in.

"That's gotta be a horrible way to die," Kate said as she shook her head.

"Yup, it's the stuff of nightmares," Mike concurred with a sigh.

"That was Mike," Vicki said as she lowered the phone to the receiver. "Looks like the guy drowned."

"Nothing odd about that," Henry noted.

"There is if there's no body of water to drown in, and no sign of the body being moved."

Henry nodded, then opened his pocket watch. "I've got to go." He walked up to Vicki and placed both hands on her shoulders. "Maybe you should come stay at my place, until we figure this out."

"Henry, if this thing wants to get to me, it's going to find me there too."

"Maybe, maybe not. It could feel threatened by my presence. If it's a demon, it should be able to sense me."

"I'll be fine, Henry. We have to find this thing, whatever it is. And I can't do that from your place." She smiled up at him. "I promise I'll think happy thoughts before I go to sleep."

A familiar gleam filled Henry's eyes as he moved closer. "I could help you with that, too, you know."

"Yea, I bet you could." His unrelenting advances always made her smile. It brought a sense of normalcy to their current situation, chased away her fears of what was to come.

"Vicki, I'm serious. The things you've seen, the things that are attracted to you because of these marks...the nightmares of others can't compare to yours, after all you've been through."

Vicki knew he had a point, but she couldn't cave in. Running and hiding were never her style. "The only thing I can do is promise that we won't make a move until you're here."

"As many times as you've made that promise before, you expect it to comfort me now?"

Vicki shrugged. "Worth a shot. Look, Henry. You know how I work. I can't just hide until this is over. I have to find it."

Henry nodded solemnly. "It was worth a shot, as you say. I'll be here as soon as I wake." With that, he kissed her forehead and was gone. 

Vicki spent the day surfing the net, trying to find some answers to all the gaps in this demon's story. She lowered her head in frustration to the desk and tried to figure out what they were missing. She woke up hours later, the moonlight peering in through her blinds. She stifled a yawn as she heard footsteps approaching, and turned as Henry entered the room.

"Did you find anything yet?" He asked.

"Nope," Vicki stood and stretched her now stiff neck. She stopped as she noticed Henry watching her with an unfamiliar look in his eyes. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he responded, moving closer.

There was something in his look and the way he moved that made Vicki shift uncomfortably. She could feel her heart speed up, and noticed the hunger that flared in his eyes as a result of it. "Henry, when was the last time you fed?"

"It's been days," he replied calmly as he traced the vein in her neck with his finger.

"Maybe you should go do that."

"Or maybe I should eat in tonight."

Vicki shook her head. His timing was usually not this poor. "I don't think so, Henry. I think you should come back after you've fed." He had her pinned against the desk now, sniffing her neck. "Henry-" Her words were interrupted by the feel of fangs tearing into her flesh in a not so gentle manner. "HENRY! STOP IT! Henry you're hurting me!"

He made no move of backing away through her screams, he only seemed to tear down harder.

"HENRY!" Panic was overwhelming her as she felt the blood loss start to take it's toll.

The real Henry stood holding her up with the grip he had on her shoulders, trying to shake her into consciousness. "Vicki! Vicki, I'm here! You have to wake up!" He really didn't want to have to hit her.

Vicki's hands searched frantically for the drawer in her desk where the Illuminicion De Sol still lay. She managed to open it and frantically felt for it as she felt her body growing weaker. Finally, her fingers wrapped around the cool metal. Without hesitating she slammed it into his chest.

Henry stumbled backwards, gasping in pain as he felt the metal points stab into his heart. He was unaware that she still had it, or as to why she used it on him.

Vicki was sobbing uncontrollably. She was sure he had taken too much blood, and was fearing for her life. She lowered herself to the ground as far away from him as she could manage. Why had he attacked her? She felt betrayed, but mostly, she felt weak. The room faded into blackness as she slumped over, finally losing consciousness.

After knocking continuously for what felt like forever, Mike finally used his key to enter the office. She could yell at him later. "Vicki?" he called into the darkness.

"Mike..." he heard a hoarse male voice call back.

Mike readied his gun and flipped the light switch. Henry lay slumped against the opposite wall, a familiar metal object clinging to his chest. Vicki was on the opposite side of the room from Henry, slumped against the wall and covered in blood.

"Help..." Henry pleaded.

Mike rushed to Vicki's side and felt for a pulse, then turned to Henry. "What did you do to her??"

"I didn't..." He tried to explain weakly. "Her nightmare..."

Mike lifted Vicki's head and tried to wake her. "Vicki?"

Vicki stirred in his arms, trying to grasp consciousness.

"Vicki! Are you alright?" She had lost so much blood, but it seemed to be covering her rather than filling Henry. Mike took note of this, then made his way to the vampire to search for the key. Once he found it, he released him as Henry gasped. "You want to tell me what the hell happened here?" Mike demanded as the vampire rubbed his chest.

"I came in, Vicki was asleep. She woke up, we had a conversation, and then she started saying things that made no sense."

"Like what?"

Henry pulled himself up and leaned against the wall, keeping his distance from Vicki. "Like telling me to stop when I was five feet away from her. She started screaming and I grabbed her shoulders, trying to wake her up. Then she used that...that THING on me."

"You can sense her heartbeat right? Is she going to be okay?"

"She'll be fine. She didn't lose enough blood. But clearly the thing was trying to drain her."

"In the form of you," Mike added.

Henry glared at Celucci, then pushed past him, making his way towards the door as he still clung to his heart.

Mike sighed and turned. "It was a nightmare, Henry. It doesn't mean-"

"Yes it does. And that's as far as this conversation goes. You think you are the better man for the job, so I'll leave you to it, since obviously she agrees." With that, he disappeared.

Mike shook his head, trying to shake off the pity he now felt for the vampire. He lifted Vicki into his arms, and carried her into the bedroom. Her eyes fluttered open as he used a wet cloth to wipe the blood from her neck.

"Mike? What happened?"

"Looks like this demon thing tried to make you victim number 3."

"How?"

"Henry."

Vicki shot up as she remembered the events of the past few hours. "Is he-"

"He's fine, but I think you should give him some space. He was pretty...upset."

Vicki lowered her head into her hands. "You took the...the thing off of him?"

"Yes."

Vicki looked up with surprise. "Why?"

"I'm a cop, Vicki. You were covered in blood. He drinks blood. It didn't add up."

"God, I'm such an idiot!"

"Vicki, it's not your fault." Mike knew his words held little comfort for her, but he had to try.

"Not the nightmare, Mike. The Illuminicion Del Sol. I never told him I had it."

Under Vicki's instructions, Coreen had continued her investigating with Dr. Sagara, but they were still unable to find a way to trap the Night Mare. There were several versions of the demon spread throughout various cultures, and romantic tales of men who had trapped the creature only to wake and find it was a beautiful woman that they decided to wed. So far none of the tales they had read seemed to hold much truth to them. Dr. Sagara sent Coreen to the university library to see what she could find there while she contacted other sources.

Coreen hugged her jacket closer to her as she walked to her destination. The sorts of nightmares she had weren't always so trivial as the one that had come to play, and she found herself sighing with relief. Making note of the footsteps quickening their pace behind her, she gripped the mace in her bag tighter. A hand gripped her shoulder and she swung around, aiming it at her attacker's face. She lowered it slowly, amazement and shock filling her every motion. "Ian?"

"Who else would it be?" He asked as he gently brushed the hair out of her face.

"But how-"

"Shhh..." he said as he placed a finger over her lips. "I wanna show you something." He took her hand and she felt her knees go weak over this touch. She had missed him so much. She grinned as he led her away in the opposite direction of the library.

Coreen hadn't been able to take her eyes off of him, but when she did, she recognized the building in front of them. 52 Lonagan Ave. "Ian, what are we doing here?"

"I said I want to show you something."

"I'm not so sure this is a good idea..." she protested.

He turned her to face him and tilted her chin up to meet his eyes. "Don't you trust me?"

"Of course, it's just that-"

Ian interrupted her by placing a gentle kiss on her lips. "Then let's go."

Reluctantly, Coreen followed. It was just a coincidence that he wanted to come here. They reached the elevator and he covered her eyes coyly. "Ian-"

"It's a surprise. I promise, you are going to love it," he said as they exited the elevator onto the ninth floor. After walking a few yards and through a door, he kissed her neck. "Close your eyes."

Coreen did as he requested and allowed him to guide her further. She could feel a strong wind blowing through her hair. Perhaps he had taken her to the rooftop. He always loved stargazing with her.

"Okay," he said as he slipped behind her, one arm around her waist. "Open your eyes."

Coreen screamed at the scene lay before her. She was back at Norman Bridewell's loft, the same pentacle lit up around them, the same whirling black hole before her. "Ian! What are you doing!"

"This is where I am, Coreen. The demon took me here, and now you can come with me."

"NO!" She screamed, but it was too late as she felt the knife plunge into her abdomen.

Vicki sat at her desk, watching the phone as if willing it to ring. It had been hours since a worrisome Dr. Sagara had called, explaining that she had sent Coreen to the library, but that she had never showed up there or returned to the office. After calling her cell phone continuously, Vicki had reluctantly made the call to Mike to see if he could help track her down. She was terrified of what he might find. She jumped as the phone rang, snatching it off the receiver. "Mike?"

"We found her, Vick."

"Is she okay? Talk to me Mike, what happened?"

"A student found her in his home, a knife wound to the abdomen. She's still in surgery now, so there's no way to know..." He trailed off, not wanting to finish with 'if the wound was fatal'.

"Oh god..."

"There's more, Vick. She was in Norman Bridewell's old apartment."

Vicki closed her eyes as she hung up the phone, unable to imagine the kind of horrors Coreen must have experienced. Anger flared through her. "I'm going to get you, you son of a bitch." She hoped the demon could hear her. She hoped it would see her statement for what it was-not a threat, but a promise.

Vicki had left messages on Henry's cell, hoping that he would be willing to listen to them. She could understand why he was angry, but she really needed his help, and she knew he would want to be there for Coreen. She sat holding Coreen's hand, who had just come from surgery not long ago, and waited for the sun to set.

"How is she?" his voice asked from behind her.

Vicki breathed with relief at the sight of him. The pain of last night's events still lay in his eyes. "Henry..."

"How is she?" He asked again.

"Better. She still hasn't woken up, but then again they've still got her heavily medicated, and she's been through a lot."

"What happened?"

"The same thing that happened last night. Our nightmare demon tried to take another victim." Vicki turned to look at Coreen. "They found her at Norman Bridewell's place."

Henry took point on the other side of Coreen's bed, still maintaining his distance from Vicki. He watched Coreen as she slept, and leaned down to her ear. "You are peaceful," he whispered in his vampiric voice. "Your dreams are happy and light. You feel safe."

"Do you think that will work?" Vicki asked as he leaned back.

"I can only hope it brings her some solace."

"Henry, I'm sorry...I don't know what else to say."

"It was a nightmare, Vicki. You can't control the fact that you fear me." There was sadness in his eyes, and she realized quickly that it had nothing to do with the Illuminicion Del Sol.

She walked around to meet him, but he pulled away at her touch. "Henry, I don't fear you."

He met her gaze, clearly saying that he believed otherwise.

"Henry, I don't. I trust you with my life."

"As much as you trust me to take it from you."

His words stung. "That's not what my nightmare was about."

"I was there, Vicki. I saw the terror you felt. And clearly I was the cause of that terror. You needn't say more." He turned to leave.

"It was about you losing yourself." She called after him, which halted his exit. "It was about...seeing what that man did to you, you couldn't control it. And you fought so hard to try, even till the end. And you won, this time."

"I hardly see it that way. I could have killed you. I nearly killed Mike. I was a feral animal."

"You didn't kill him, Henry. You stopped. No feral animal would do that." She bit her lip, trying to put her feelings into words. "My nightmare was you losing. You losing who you really are. I don't know how else to get you to understand..."

"I'm not sure I can, Vicki. Not right now." He turned his head slightly to look at her, then left.

Vicki closed her eyes, feeling that her nightmare couldn't compare to the reality she felt now. The reality of losing Henry. She groaned as her cell phone rang from it's home in her pocket. "Nelson Investigations."

"I have some information for you," a voice whispered from the other end.

"Concerning a case?"

"Concerning the unofficial case you're working on."

Vicki straightened. "How do you know about that? Who is this?"

"Someone who...who might be responsible. I didn't mean to-"

"Didn't mean to what?" Vicki pressed.

"I need you to meet me. You need to see for yourself. There's a warehouse, just off of Hamilton, near the park. Be there in an hour."

Vicki lowered the phone after the click sounding the disconnection. She quickly dialed Henry's number, and left a message saying where she would be. Then she dialed Mike and asked him to come keep an eye on Coreen.

Henry sighed as he ignored Vicki's call. He needed time to sort through the things he was feeling now. He had decided to take this time to hunt for the demon wreaking havoc on everyone, hoping he could some how find it's scent.

By the time Mike got to the hospital, Coreen was awake and arguing with the doctors.

"I said I'm fine!" She protested as she tried to get up.

"Woh there, Coreen," Mike said as he tried to guide her back down to the bed. "You just took a major stab wound to the gut. It could have killed you."

"Everyone keeps saying that but here I stand. I'm pretty sure I'm not a ghost."

The doctor nodded at Mike as he left the room, silently pleading him to talk some sanity into the girl.

"Mike, I'm fine. We need to get back to the office. This thing...we've got to stop it. It nearly killed me."

"Yea, it nearly got Vicki too, and Henry in the process. If I hadn't showed up when I did, he probably would've gone up in flames."

"You saved Henry?"

"Yea," Mike huffed. "Imagine that."

"They're okay, right?"

"Yea, they're fine, all things considered."

"Then we have to help them. Which means you have to help me get out of here."

"I'm a cop, Coreen. Not a doctor. I can't tell them it's okay for you to leave."

"I know, but you are a cop. Tell them you want to take me in for a lineup, and that you'll bring me back after."

Mike pondered the idea for a moment. "You watch too many cop shows, you know that?"

"Please Mike!"

"Alright, alright. I'll try. But you better be prepared to sign out against the doctors orders otherwise."

"I'll be here for hours arguing with him, I already tried that. The lineup way is quicker."

Mike sighed and made his way to talk to the doctor.

Vicki couldn't shake the ominous feeling the warehouse gave her. Meeting at places like this in the middle of the night were usually not a good sign. "Hello?" she called as she shone her flashlight through the entrance. "Anybody here? Anybody who like to call demons here..." She added. She could hear creaking from the floor above her. "Hello?"

She walked around the trash riddled first floor, looking for the proof her informant had promised her. Maybe he had gotten cold feet. She was yards away from the only way out by the time she smelled the smoke. "Crap," she muttered as she took notice that there were no signs of fire around her, yet plenty of noises above her. She ran for the door, but the roof caving was quicker than her, and she was knocked to the ground as the roof came down around her.

Henry groaned with frustration as the phone vibrating in his pocket broke his concentration. It was Vicki's office. Her persistence was starting to wear on him, so he decided to answer. "Look, Vicki-"

"Henry, it's Coreen."

"Why are you calling from the office and not your hospital bed?"

"Because we have work to do. I'm taking it Vicki isn't with you?"

"No, but I can see she is starting to rub off on you. What's happened?"

"I think I found a way to trap the demon with some protection spells, but I can't get in touch with her. I've been trying her cell, but she isn't answering. Mike said she was going to some warehouse with you to meet an informant."

"Mike was misled, though I'm sure not on accident. I'll see if I can track her down and call you back." Henry hung up and quickly checked the message she had left earlier. The message he had so stupidly ignored. "Idiot," he muttered to himself as he took off after her.

He could smell her death long before his gaze fell upon her body in the midst of the rubble and smoke. He had raced there as soon as he got her message, but he was too late, as he always feared he would one day be.

He raced to her side and wrapped his arms around her still and lifeless body. "Oh god, Vicki..."

Vicki awoke in Henry's arms, still in the same warehouse that had just come crashing down on her. This had obviously been a setup. She cursed herself for not knowing better and tried to release herself from Henry's grip, which she found to be too strong. "Careful there, you're gonna give me more bruises," she quipped as she tried once more to get up unsuccessfully. She could barely make out his face through the darkness, and the flames whipping around them were no help. "Henry, come on. We've got to get out of here."

Henry continued to mourn his loss as he held her closer. He buried his head in her neck and tried to breathe in her scent once more, but all he could find was the cold scent of death's hand. He was too late to save her, and too late to bring her back. Her heart was still and had been for some time. Tears welled in his eyes as he gazed down at her. Even scratched up and hair matted with blood, he was still taken with her beauty. Why had he wasted so much time? Why had he not pushed past her fear and given her the love she deserved? "I'm so sorry, Victoria."

"Henry, it's okay. I've been in worse shape than this, I promise. Just let me up so we can go, I don't think this building is going to hold much longer." Vicki waited for a response but it was as if he couldn't hear her. "Henry!" As Vicki continued to struggle against his embrace, she felt something warm dripping onto her cheek. She gave pause and attempted to look around, hoping some sort of sprinkler system had decided to be their savior.

Henry lifted her hand and kissed the inside of her palm, resting it against his face.

Chills surged up Vicki's spine at the touch. There were no sprinklers. Henry was crying.

"Henry, talk to me please. I'm right here. Please snap out of it!" She could feel the heat getting closer, which was never a good sign. She couldn't understand why Henry wasn't snatching her up and racing out of there. She struggled continuously, and tried slapping him, but he was unresponsive. The pain of her hit was clearly not enough to jar him.

Henry loosened his grip and sat down more comfortably, pulling Vicki's body into his lap. He loved the way the flames danced across her, accentuating the natural glow her skin still managed to hold. He pulled out his phone and dialed the number solemnly. "Coreen? I found her. I was too late...I'm sorry, I can't help you anymore." He turned the phone off and tossed it forward, feeding it to the flames he would soon allow to claim him as well. He had lived a very long life, but with Vicki gone there seemed to be little left the world could offer him.

Vicki gasped, finally realizing the meaning behind this peculiar situation. It was the nightmares. This was one of Henry's worst nightmares, that she was dead.

"Henry!" She screamed frantically. "Henry, I'm alright! I'm still here!" The heat was getting more intense by the moment. She found herself gasping for breath, the fire making it difficult for her lungs to find oxygen. He told Coreen he couldn't help her anymore.

He meant to die here as well, by her side.

"Henry no!! Henry you have to wake up! Please!" She continued to try to squirm against his hold, unsure if she could drag him out of here but determined to try. He leaned his forehead against hers, closing his eyes as his sorrow continued to fall onto her cheeks. Vicki took advantage of the close proximity and closed the distance between their lips, something she had been deathly afraid of doing. She closed her eyes and kissed him with all the passion she had built up since the moment they met, praying to gods she wasn't sure she believed in that for once the fairy tales would hold true and it would wake him from his trance.

Henry found himself kissing her cold lips before he even realized he had made the movement. He kissed her with everything that he had left as he could feel his soul ripping apart at his loss. He wished he could somehow breathe the life back into the shell of her that he now clung so desperately to. 

He didn't expect it to actually happen, but yet he found her lips searching against his. For a moment he was able to find her scent again, and he inhaled deeply. Was his mind playing tricks on him? He pulled away and caught a glimpse of her eyes staring up at him. He closed his eyes and opened them once more, hopeful that he would find her smiling face looking up at him, but once more her scent was gone and her head lolled lifelessly to the side.

"Henry!! Henry I know you saw me! Come on!" Vicki placed a hand on his face, willing him to feel her. If they didn't get out of there soon, they would both really be dead.

Henry closed his eyes as he felt the warmth of skin across his cheek. This time his eyes remained closed as he spoke helplessly out into the burning room. "Vicki?"

"Henry! Can you hear me?"

He could once more feel her warmth and inhale her scent. What was more, he could hear her heart beating, racing so close to his. He concentrated deeper, pushing aside everything else his senses were feeding him besides her.

"Henry! Oh god! Please wake up!"

He could hear her. Wake up? Could this really be some horrible dream he was trapped in? Were the heavens so merciful that he could open his eyes once more and find her alive? He dared to do so, but still found that she was lost to him when his eyes were open. He closed them once more, losing himself in concentration and frantically searching for her with his mind.

"Henry come on! This is tragically romantic, but we have to get out of here or we're both going to die! You have to snap out of this! You're stronger than this! We're stronger than this!"

Henry wasted no more time questioning whether or not his heart was trying to dream her back to life. With his eyes remaining closed, he lifted her in his arms and sped out of the building. He opened his eyes in reaction to the loud crash, and he watched as the front part of the building collapsed. He turned his attention back to Vicki, who lay smiling in his arms. Relief washed over him as he pulled her closer to him. "You're alive!"

"Bout time you figured it out," she retorted happily. "I thought vampires didn't dream."

"We don't."

"So that whole thing in there, if it wasn't your nightmare then what was it?"

Henry ran his fingers over the line of her face, tracing the frame down to her chin. "You don't have to sleep to have fears, Vicki." He helped her up and regained his composure almost immediately. "We should get back to the office. I think I might've told Coreen you were dead."

Vicki reached for a hand to stop him. "Henry...you weren't leaving. I could feel the flames getting more intense, but you weren't moving."

Henry lowered his gaze. Feeling vulnerable was not his strong suit, and in his 450 years, Vicki had just witnessed the closest he had come to baring his soul. In 450 years, no one else had ever made him feel as vulnerable as he felt in her presence now. "This isn't something we should discuss right now, Vicki. We have to find the thing causing this and stop them, before someone finds they aren't able to wake from their worst nightmare."

Vicki could feel his guard, and she felt that she understood. He had a point as well. If they didn't stop this, there wouldn't be any time for romance later, if that was even what she was going for. She kissed him gently on the cheek and led the way back to her office, dropping the subject for now but knowing that soon it could no longer be avoided.

"Why isn't Coreen at the hospital?"

"Your influence, I'm sure," Henry laughed.

Coreen hadn't moved since she'd received Henry's phone call. She couldn't believe that Vicki was dead, though the tears stinging her eyes claimed otherwise. She would need to call Mike soon as he had just left to look for Vicki, but couldn't find the strength to move from her perch on the side of her desk, let alone dial a number. She gasped as Henry led Vicki through the door, and didn't hesitate as she threw her arms around her boss's neck in a tight hug.

"Coreen-"

Coreen pulled away, wide eyed with wonder. "Oh my god! Are you a ghost?"

"If I was, would I still be feeling the pains of you trying to squeeze the life out of me?"

Coreen turned to Henry with awe. "You turned her. That is so romantic! I knew it would happen eventually!"

Henry and Vicki exchanged wary glances, unwilling to broach that subject. "Coreen," Henry began, "Vicki wasn't dead."

"It was the nightmares," Vicki explained.

"Henry's worst nightmare is that you're dead? That is so sweet..." the gothette cooed.

"I would describe it more as horrific," Henry replied with a gesture of his hand.

"Point taken." She turned back to Vicki. "So what happened at the warehouse?"

"Not much other than it crashing down on top of my head. I'm pretty sure it was a setup."

"By the same thing causing the nightmares?"

"I'm not sure. So far this thing has been very clever and kept hidden fairly well. I think the informant might've been genuine, but something else got there first. And knew I was coming."

"It could have been a setup to get into my fears," Henry offered.

"I dunno, this thing went through an awful lot of trouble just to get into your head."

"You think whatever is causing this was destroying any evidence in the warehouse." Coreen concluded.

"I think so." She turned back to Henry. "And I think you were just an afterthought."

Henry ran a worried hand over his face, still unable to shake the vision of Vicki laying dead in his arms. "It felt like more than an afterthought."

Vicki could read the concern on his face. He was working to build his mask back up, but the trauma of tonight's events still lay out in the open for her to see. She placed a comforting hand on his arm. "Henry, I'm okay. And that's thanks to you. If you hadn't snapped out of it, we'd both be dead."

"Both?" Coreen asked. 

Henry patted her hand and turned to look into the night. "So what now? Any evidence that might have been at the warehouse is sure to have been destroyed with it."

"Maybe," Vicki pondered.

"You want to go back?" It wasn't really a question, Henry had learned to read her intentions involving cases very well. Other intentions were still completely lost on him, but he could see where the investigative wheels were turning in her head by now. "After what happened tonight? You were-"

"I wasn't. Henry, this may be our only chance at stopping this. I have to go back."

"Then I'm going with you."

"Sunrise isn't too far away, I don't think there's enough time for you to come with me."

"Then wait for me." There was a pleading in his eyes Vicki had never seen before. Usually she would laugh off an order like this, possibly even change her plan if it had involved waiting. But she could see the fear and pain in his eyes.

"Okay," she agreed simply. "I could use some sleep my self."

"There's a problem with that," Coreen interjected. "Dr. Sagara said that whatever this thing is gains access and strength while we sleep. So pretty much going to sleep right now is like putting a sign on the front door that says 'Open and Easy'."

"I'm afraid I don't have much say in the matter of sleep," Henry replied.

"Coreen, you told Henry that you found a way to trap it, right?"

"Right," Coreen responded. "Using the right combination of protection spells, we should-

"Good, you go with him and take as many protective spells as you can."

"Excuse me?" Henry asked incredulously. "You're asking someone to perform magic in my home?"

"Yes Henry, and I'm not giving you a choice in the matter. I know we've been down this road before, but we are running out of options. We have to be able to protect ourselves against this thing."

"Vicki there are other-"

"Do you want another repeat of tonight? Cause from where I was sitting it didn't look like very much fun to you."

Henry halted at these words, the smell and image of Vicki's corpse rushing to the front of his mind again. He knew there was no arguing this. He turned to Coreen, who was gathering her things. "Only protection spells, nothing more even if you think it will help."

Coreen nodded in agreement and Henry held out his hand to lead her away. He paused as he passed Vicki, who gazed up at him tenderly. "Don't do anything-"

"Stupid," she finished with a grin. "Yea, yea I know." She looked up at him more seriously. "I'll wait for you, I promise."

Henry couldn't resist, he couldn't find reason to hold back after what had happened tonight, after feeling the weight of losing her. He pulled her into a tender embrace, and lightly kissed her head. She didn't make any indication of pulling away, instead she enclosed her arms around his waist and lay her head against his chest.

"I have to go," he whispered. He could feel the sun's warmth beyond the horizon, and knew he had just enough time to get himself and Coreen back to the safety of his condo.

Vicki released him from the embrace and nodded. She watched him leave and held out the breath she had been holding since he pulled her into his arms. She wished she could say she didn't know what he might have felt, but she could still remember watching the life drain out of Mike's eyes after he was shot in their attempt to rescue Pandora's Box. Even knowing that the memory was hers and hers alone, she still felt as though her heart were breaking at the very thought. Shuddering as she attempted to regain her bearings, she began sifting through Coreen's research in an attempt to find something they might've missed. 

Back at Henry's, Coreen was still busily at work with the protection spells, strategically placing them by any opening the Night Mare might be able to seep through. She plugged up holes and strewn herbs across window sills, as Henry watched from his perch at the bedroom door.

"It's very hard to do this with you watching," Coreen said nervously. "It makes it hard to concentrate."

"I have no choice but to retreat now anyways, the sun is rising." Clicking the button on his remote control to lower the mechanical blinds, he turned into his room and closed the doors. Just before the dawn took him, he could hear Coreen nestling herself into the couch, obviously pleased with her work.

After calling to check on Mike, who was working the homicide of the demon's latest victim, Vicki settled herself back in front of her computer, sifting through the internet pages on the Night Mare demon to try to find a way to kill it. After hours coming up empty, she phoned Dr. Sagara.

"Hi, Dr. Sagara, it's Vicki. I just remembered something you said, and I wanted to ask you about it. You said that there were tales of men who had plugged up the hole the demon came through, and then nailed the demon to the floor, right? And this caused the demon to show it's true form?"

"It is a possibility...but it seems to be manifesting itself in the form of other people as well, people who might be present."

"Yea, I figured that one out the hard way. Thanks, Dr. Sagara. Be careful, this thing seems to be getting more...intense."

"You too, dear."

Vicki replaced the receiver, and decided to check on Coreen.

"You okay?" Vicki asked immediately.

"Yes, Vicki, I'm fine."

"You didn't pop any stitches casting those spells did you?"

"No, Mother Nelson, I didn't." Coreen laughed. "Any bad dreams come to life again?"

"Not yet, but I'm not letting my guard down either. I just spoke to Dr. Sagara, and I think there's something we should try. You remember those tales of trapping the demon, then nailing it to the floor? Well in those tales the demon then showed it's true form, which might give us some indication of how to kill it."

"So if the demon shows itself, nail it to the floor. Got it."

"But be careful. This thing is manifesting itself in the form of people we know, so go for the hurt, not the kill."

"Okay," Coreen conceded as she pulled a knife out of Henry's collection. "This oughta work." When she turned around, she nearly lost her grip on the knife as she found herself face to face with Norman.

"Hello beautiful."

"Ummm...Vicki. You might want to get here."

"It's there?" Vicki asked in a panic.

"Either that, or Norman's back."

Before Vicki could say anything more, the line disconnected. Vicki cursed, knowing the sun wasn't due to set for another hour, and rushed out the door.

Coreen tightened her grip on the knife and backed away as Norman started circling her. She tried to keep a hold on the panic that the sight of Norman evoked out of her. "Umm...hi Norman. How's hell been?"

"It's been...well let's just say it is what it is."

"That's great. Nice to know things are, um, going well for you. So what are you doing back here?"

"Funny thing is, you're the reason I'm back. Word on the street is, you called me here. Which is totally sweet."

"Yea, somehow I doubt that. But thanks for stopping by." Coreen gasped as he grabbed her by the throat, but all he did was pull her closer to him, running his face against her cheek. "You know, Norman...you and I, we never really got a chance to get to know one another." She could feel his grip on her throat loosen, so she pressed on. "Maybe we could try that now."

"Yea," he said slowly, allowing her to pull away. "Whatcha got in mind?"

Coreen gave her best flirtatious smile and led him by the hand to the couch. "Have a seat and find out."

Norman kicked back on the couch and watched as she lowered herself to her knees in front of him. Leaning his head back, he said, "Oh this is gonna be wicked awesome."

Coreen eyed him with anticipation, and decided now was the time to strike. He howled in pain as she drove the knife through his foot and jumped back. What sat before her screaming now was no longer Norman, but what looked to be a mixture of several different creatures. It's torso and head were that of a man, with a snake's lower body, the snout of a lion, and two horns protruding out of a thick mane of oily black hair. It continued to struggle to get free as Vicki raced into the room.

"You trapped it," Vicki couldn't hide her surprise.

"Yea, glad you're so shocked, but what the hell do we do now?"

Vicki quickly grabbed the sword perched in front of the portrait of Henry's father, and swung it at the demon, who's head now rolled across the floor. Vicki didn't relax her grip, but stood ready to swing it again.

"Um Vicki...I think it's dead."

"Yea, maybe..."

"Vicki, it's head is over there," Coreen pointed to the mangled mess bleeding on Henry's designer rug. 

"I'm just making sure it doesn't grow back."

Vicki relaxed her grip as Henry raced into the living room, still in his boxers, as the sun had now set. "Where is it?" he growled.

"There and there," Vicki pointed. "And you need to get your sword cleaned again."

Henry melted back into his human form, black eyes making way for hazel ones now sparkling with laughter. "I know what I'm getting you for Christmas."

"Does that mean you aren't mad at me anymore?"

"Maybe," Henry said with a smile as he took the sword from her and pulled her into an embrace. "I'm just glad you're okay."

Coreen cleared her throat to bring the attention back to her. "Hello, tonight makes three times I was attacked throughout this thing."

"I'm glad you're okay, too, Coreen."

"Me too," Vicki concurred. "Which means we can take you back to the hospital now."

"You never stay when you're supposed to!" Coreen protested.

"Just appease me, okay? I'd rather not celebrate another victory over the monster of the week only to find you are bleeding internally."

Coreen smiled, knowing this was Vicki's way of showing she cared. "Okay, but they aren't keeping me overnight."

Vicki raised her eyebrows as Coreen walked passed her. "You honestly think I'm gonna let you drive yourself there?"

Coreen looked back and forth between Vicki and Henry. "No, but I think I'll get Mike to drive me. You two just stay here, relax, whatever," she added with a grin and shut the door.

Vicki and Henry eyed each other awkwardly. "We should go with-"

"Yea," Henry agreed. "I'll just go get dressed."

"Wow, no arguments, no coy remarks...you sure you aren't mad at me?"

"I think we've both had enough excitement the past few days. Another time, perhaps, would be better."

Vicki smiled, knowing there was no getting out of having the conversation that now loomed heavily over them. "Another time," she agreed.


End file.
